Okay, you can stop drooling now. Really, wipe your mouth before the boss sees you dripping on your brackets. Even if he or she is in on the fun, it's Madness etiquette to keep your excitement contained.
Anyway, it's closing in on tip time, and pretty soon anticipation will turn into jubilation, frustration, and disappointment over blowout losses and buzzer-beating wins. So, while your tournament sheet is all nice and clean, let me point out a couple of things to you about the 2007 installment of March Madness for your office, home, and on the go.
The last couple of years, I've only teased the first round of the festivities, and while I think Thursday and Friday are the best examples of "Sports Gone Wild," allow me to dig deeper this year and divulge my thoughts on the tourney from a down-the-road perspective. Lost yet? Good. That means we're all thinking the same way. Now, to those first-rounders.
BEST GAME OF THE 1ST ROUND
When the matchups were revealed Sunday, one game caught my eye more than any other. I love, love, love the 7-10 battle between Nevada and Creighton. The WAC title winning Wolfpack, and league player of the year Nick Fazekus (with his 20.5 ppg and 11.2 rpg), take on the Missouri Valley tournament winners from Omaha, led by Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver (two of four double-digit scorers).
Both squads have plenty of big-time mascot heads on the trophy wall (Gonzaga, Southern Illinois, Xavier), so this one is sure to be a knockdown, slug-it-out affair.
THE ANNUAL 5-12 UPSET
Something screamed out at me about Butler/Old Dominion, but I decided to ignore it and go with more hateration logic. Along with everyone else (no probably about it), I was stunned when Arkansas snuck into the field. Everyone from Rodeo Drive to Times Square was wondering how a 7-9 SEC West team could get in. But we've seen this happen before.
Don't forget that two of last year's debated teams made runs through the tourney field. Bradley, the fourth team out of the Missouri Valley, got the furthest along, upsetting Kansas and Pitt to make the Sweet 16. And everyone knows what George Mason pulled off.
This year's Razorbacks have certainly underachieved. Then again, they're size and skill on the interior can be a problem to match for most squads. Just remember, last place in doesn't always lead to first ones out. Oh yeah, and watch out for Long Beach State upsetting Tennessee, too.
YEAR OF THE 11-SEED
Sure, there's always a 5-12 upset, but I think more noise is going to be made in the 6-11 games. Who can forget the Colonials and their Final Four run last year as an 11-seed? Well, that shouldn't happen this time. However, they might slash some brackets early in '07.
Winthrop seems to be everyone's darling this year, and winning 18 in a row only helps the cause. Virginia Commonwealth won Mason's conference (season and tourney) and aren't too shabby in the win-loss column (27-6). Stanford's Lopez towers, I mean twins, give a lot of teams fits (plus, they get starting point guard Anthony Goods back). All I'm saying is Notre Dame, Duke, and Louisville ... watch yo' back.
BEST 8-9 MATCHUP
All of the 8-9 games have some sort of intrigue, but I'm going to think smaller on this one. Instead of the normal contest between fourth and fifth-place teams from the big boys, I want to see some conference leaders go at it. That's what regular season champs BYU (MWC) and Xavier (A-10) have to offer.
Heck, no one's expecting either of these teams to make it past the weekend, so let's take them in while we've got the chance.
Speaking of down the road, what's my crystal ball telling me about the rest of the tournament?
BIGGEST SLEEPERS
Out of the teams seeded seventh or below, I have three making the Sweet 16. UNLV has been on a steady rise for most of the season (18th in the latest coaches' poll). With the Runnin' Rebels in full swing, keep an eye on them going up against a more than bruised Wisconsin.
I briefly mentioned Long Beach State beating Tennessee in the first round. Part of the reason was something I heard in the analysis on Sunday. The 49ers coach, Larry Reynolds, is leading his team throughout the tournament without a contract, basically making him a free agent. And we all know how free agents perform in the last part of their contract years. He's playing with house money.
Creighton's my other dark horse. The Bluejays are really solid both inside and on the perimeter. I think they have enough defense to slow down high-octane Memphis and send the Tigers packing earlier than expected.
LAST "MID-MAJOR" STANDING
All right, it might not be a surprise that I would pick the highest-ranked middie, Southern Illinois. However, some eyebrows might raise at where I put them. The seeds will hold up in the West bracket until the Sweet 16, giving the Salukis a chance to face top-seed Kansas.
The Jayhawks are a team on a roll, with athleticism and scoring to spare. Bill Self has them playing defense, too, but not nearly as hard-nosed and tenacious as SIU and their slow-as-molasses pace. MVC POY Jamaal Tatum and the Carbondale Kids didn't make it through the Missouri Valley grind on top for nothing, and they'll prove it on their run to the Elite Eight.
OVERLOOKING THE PALOUSE
One last thought before we make our way down I-75. Living out here on the left coast, I've had plenty of opportunities to see Washington State and their amazing run through this season. While many people see the Cougars as a second, or even first, game casualty, I give you fair warning.
This team knows how to stay in a game with teams that are supposedly much better than them (just ask UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, etc.). Tony Bennett has them playing with little fear, and that could ultimately put the fear into a lot of brackets through the next couple of weekends.
WHO GETS TO ATLANTA?
Last year, no number ones made it out of their region. While it's difficult to get all the top teams to meet in one place, they won't all be shut out this time around, either.
Florida is too good and too experienced to be left out of the ATL festivities. They have their sights set on nothing but Gator Bait now that they left the SEC in their wake. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green, Corrie Brewer, and Lee Humphrey won't find another starting five equal to them until the last day of March.
Ohio State has the talent and the presence in the middle no other one person can match. The Buckeyes have their act together, plus Greg Oden is getting healthier, which means trouble for the rest of the field. They already got revenge against Wisconsin for one of their three losses. They can't get back at North Carolina and Florida until they reach Atlanta.
Unfortunately, neither team will get a chance to have their repeat of January's BCS Championship. It will all come down to a couple of two seeds. UCLA will return to the title game, representing an improved offense to go with last year's runner-up defense. But it won't be enough to deny history repeating itself.
For the first time since 1984, a Thompson and a Ewing will help bring a title to Georgetown basketball. Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green are leading one of the nation's hottest teams, and their ability to slash, defend, and create will guide them down a path where the juniors (John Thompson III and Patrick Ewing, Jr.) can follow in the seniors' footsteps.
Hey, I'm out of breath. Enjoy the most fun couple of days of the year.
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